Search for missing area child shows true community colours

Sep 19, 2007

To the Editor:

For a couple of heart-stopping hours yesterday, our son Joshua was “missing.”

We began to look for him as all parents would, searching the neighbourhood, checking at the playground and calling friends and neighbours. When this proved unsuccessful, we notified the police. Within minutes the first officer was at our front door, and a significant OPP search force responded shortly thereafter.

It was an afternoon that every parent hopes never to experience. But if anything could have made the nightmare of a missing child easier to bear, it was the competence, professionalism and kindness of the police officers involved in the search.

Happily, Joshua was found and nothing horrible had happened to him. He is safely home, and we are greatly relieved.

People often grumble about the police and have a negative perception of their role in the community. We want to say publicly that the OPP constables, detectives, canine units, and ERT members were incredible. This community should be proud of their emergency response capabilities.

We have always taught our children that the job of the police is to help people, and that was proven true in a very dramatic way yesterday. Our deepest thanks to the members of the Burk’s Falls OPP detachment, their colleagues from the surrounding area, and the friends and neighbours who dropped everything to search for a frightened little boy.

Jeff and Lisa Waites
Burk’s Falls